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Thomas County’s Extension Office will be closed to the public until further notice. Please call or text my cell (12292258952) with any questions.

From Worth County’s ANR Agent, Scott Carlson- All in-person Using Pesticides Wisely (UPW) classroom trainings have been cancelled. For those still needing to be trained, UGA Extension and the Georgia Department of Agriculture are currently developing an effective approach that will fulfill training requirements. Look for future updates.

We have received many questions in recent days pertaining to the quality issues facing our peanut seed supply in 2020 and relative performance of seed treatments Dynasty PD and Rancona. Below is the information that you need to know now; as more information is developed we will pass it to you quickly. As you know, Rancona and Dynasty PD both contain several fungicides; however they do not contain the same fungicides. This is noteworthy in 2020 when Aspergillus flavus seems to be especially important.

We have multiple years of data showing that Dynasty and Rancona are both very good seed treatments for peanuts.

There has been a tendency for Rancona being stronger on Aspergillus than Dynasty. This was with Aspergillus niger which has been our primary seed pathogen in recent years.

UGA grad student Brian Jordan’s work showing that the mutation for high level resistance to QoI’s can occur in niger supports the clearly reduced efficacy of azoxystrobin (Abound) in furrow, and also on seed (although fludioxinil in Dynasty on seed would help moderate that effect).

Those differences in control may or may not have been enough to make a difference in yield, although the pattern was there for that in some trials

The biggest issue we face with seed quality in 2020 is that this is a different scenario with Aspergillus flavus (a related, but different, pathogen).

Here is what we know now:

1) Last season was extremely hot and dry. There is a much higher frequency of Aspergillus flavus in our peanut seed from last year than we usually see. A. flavus produces aflatoxin, but it can also be an important seedling pathogen.

2) Culturing the pathogens from seed shows a huge difference in the efficacy of Dynasty and Rancona on this seed borne A. flavus, at least in some seed lots which were identified as being of lower germination.

3) Rancona has considerably less incidence of A. flavus growth in these seed lots. The difference in seed treatments for inhibition of A. flavus is believed to help explain some of the differences in germination observed, with Rancona producing significantly higher germinations. Again, this is on some seed lots and not others. Preliminary evidence is that the later-harvested seeds, which were exposed to the most heat and drought, are the most likely to have high Aspergillus levels.

What does all of this mean? Are the differences observed this year due to A. flavus being resistant to QoI fungicides as sometimes occurs in A. niger? That issue is not known, but is being evaluated as quickly as possible. There is much we still need to learn, but for now we can say the following:

Rancona and Dynasty have both been very good seed treatments. This year, with the emergence of flavus, Rancona will probably be more effective treatment on those lots with elevated A. flavus populations. (Elevated A. flavus populations seem to be linked to seed lots with lower germination).

High quality seed with similar germinations on the Rancona and Dynasty will probably be fine with either product as the seed treatment.

Either seed treatment will likely benefit from the addition of an in furrow spray. Proline and Velum Total have been the most consistent in recent years. Abound should not be paired with Dynasty, as it duplicates the chemistry most prone to resistance. Abound would add an additional chemical class where Rancona is being used, and may help with other seed pathogens other than QoI-resistant Aspergillus.

If seed that is to be planted has (or is suspected to have lower germination rates), and the seed has been treated with Dynasty PD, then there is a greater need to consider use of additional infurrow applications of Proline or Velum Total to protect stands.

NOTE: We cannot become too narrowly focused as many different pathogens can affect peanut seed!

Research (including grow out tests in the greenhouse) is seeking to answer more of these questions prior to planting season, and we will keep you updated as those results come in. It should be noted that these issues are being seen in commercial seed that have been produced, handled and stored with great care. Farmer saved seed are sometimes exposed to less than ideal conditions, and may have even more issues this season.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture will begin accepting online applications for the $347 million in block grant funds on March 18, 2020. Georgia farmers and forest landowners in 95 eligible counties, who suffered losses to beef, dairy, fruit and vegetable, pecan, poultry, timber, and uninsured infrastructure, will need to enroll in the recovery program beginning March 18. The federal block grants seek to help recover losses not covered under existing USDA Farm Service Agency programs.

Only online applications will be accepted. While mobile phones may be used to sign up and log in, applicants are strongly encouraged to complete the application using a computer to ensure proper upload and attachment of required documents.

In 2020 in Georgia, applicators of Engenia, Fexapan, Tavium or XtendiMax who attended a UPW training during 2019 are NOT required to attend the 2020 UPW training (although all are welcome and encouraged to attend). For Enlist One and Enlist Duo, those persons in-charge of in-season applications to tolerant cotton and soybean who attended training during 2019 are NOT required to attend the 2020 UPW training (again all are welcome). Those who were not trained in 2019 are required to attend a 2020 training. For those wanting confirmation regarding 2019 attendance, visit the GDA website () and scroll down to the bottom clicking on the location attended last season.

UPW will be offered in Colquitt County on March 11, 2020 starting at 9 am. This meeting will be held at the Colquitt County Extension office in Moultrie, GA. (229) 616-7455
Two hours of pesticide credit for private or commercial will be offered at this training.

UPW will be offered in Tift County on April 3, 2020 starting at 9:30 am. This meeting will be held at the Tifton Campus Conference Center at 15 RDC Rd, Tifton, GA. (229) 386-7274
Two hours of pesticide credit for private or commercial will be offered at this training.

RSVP and Maximum Attendance: Everyone must RSVP at least 3 days prior to the meeting that they would like to attend.
NO MEAL: NO meal will be provided because of time constraints and the volume of people required to be trained.
Training Agenda: Using Pesticide Wisely (UPW) will last about 1 hr and 30 minutes.

On January 22, 2020, the EPA released the following document: Glyphosate – Interim Registration Review Decision – Case Number 0178. A few excerpts that can be found in this document are as follows:

“The agency used the most current science policies and risk assessment methodologies to prepare a risk assessment in support of the registration reviews of glyphosate.”“The agency concluded that there are no dietary risks of concern for any segment of the population, even with the most conservative assumptions applied in its assessments (e.g. tolerance-level residues, direct application to water, and 100% crop treated).”“The agency also concluded that there are no residential, non-occupational bystander, aggregate, or occupational risks of concern.”“The EPA concludes that the benefits outweigh the potential ecological risks when glyphosate is used according to label directions.”“The EPA is requiring all glyphosate labels to be updated to modern standards. The specific components of the label that require updates are as follows: the maximum application parameters, environmental hazards statement for aquatic use, and clarification on rotational crop timing. In addition, the agency is providing guidance to glyphosate registrants on acceptable marketing statements.” “The agency’s final registration review decision for glyphosate will be dependent upon an Endangered Species Assessment (ESA), an Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP) determination, and a resolution of the Environmental Working Group (EWG) et al. petition (i.e. reduce the tolerance of glyphosate in or on oats from 30 ppm to 0.1 ppm and modify labels to explicitly prohibit pre-harvest use on oats).”

For a copy of the complete report, refer to the following web location: